Q I’m a U.S. citizen who lived in Turkey for eight years. There, I married a man in a religious ceremony. While I was trying to get work in Massachusetts, we started the immigration process for him. That’s when I learned my husband had a record involving violent crimes. So the Department of Homeland Security denied his request to immigrate into the USA.

Then I filed a court case in Turkey asking my marriage be annulled. He objected. My request was denied.

Can I get divorced here although I’ve got no proof of the marriage?— A.T., Saugus

A Assuming you are domiciled here, you can file for divorce in Massachusetts if, or when, you satisfy its one-year residency requirement. Then hire a lawyer who has experience with international divorce cases. If you can’t afford a lawyer, go to the local probate court, get the needed forms and ask if there is a lawyer-for-the-day there who can help you fill out the forms.

If you can’t get a certified copy of your marriage certificate, get a certified copy of the papers in your Turkish court case. Then get a certified translation of those court papers.

All things being equal, a denial of your annulment should simultaneously be proof your marriage is valid in Turkey. And if valid there, your marriage should be considered valid in Massachusetts.

Turkey and the United States have both signed the 1965 Hague Convention on the service of a civil summons in each other’s country. So you or your lawyer need to get forms from the U.S. Marshall’s office and then carefully and exactly follow the required Convention rules. Eventually you’ll need to serve your husband according to the procedural law of Turkey. If, for some reason service cannot be made on him in Turkey, write back and we’ll provide you with some other­ ideas.

After your husband is properly served with your complaint and the summons, there is a required waiting period in which he has time to file his answer. After that period is over, ask the probate court to schedule a date for a hearing on your divorce. You’re obligated to send him a copy of the notice of that hearing date.

But because your husband won’t be able to enter the U.S. to be there, that hearing should be short thanks to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security!

Gerald L. Nissenbaum has been a trial lawyer in Boston since 1967 and concentrates his practice on family law. Any legal advice in this column is general in nature, and does not establish a lawyer-client relationship. Send questions to dearjerry@bostonherald.com.